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System, in a word, sucks

Canada91裸聊视频檚 justice system needs serious overhaul
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Roger Knox

Their voices spoke volumes.

In Marie Van Diest91裸聊视频檚 soft-spoken tone, there was resignation and displeasure.

In Raymond Van Diest91裸聊视频檚 voice, it was anger.

It91裸聊视频檚 never easy as a reporter to call the family of a murder victim and ask for comments on a story you wish you never had to write. And, for me, it91裸聊视频檚 been that way since Nov. 1, 2011, the day Taylor Van Diest, an Armstrong teenager, died of injuries as the result of a Halloween night attack at the hands of a then unknown stranger while she was walking the once-assumed safe streets of her small hometown.

I talked to family members and friends about Taylor, the incident, always trying to be mindful and respectful of the family. Taylor was their daughter, sister, niece, friend. It91裸聊视频檚 gut-wrenching to watch the tears flow, the voices crack, the lips quiver.

A Cherryville man, Matthew Foerster, was arrested for Taylor91裸聊视频檚 murder. In a court of his peers, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Within the Canadian legal system, convicted felons have rights including the right to appeal. Foerster did that through his defence team, which argued the sentencing judge had made critical errors in his address to the jury.

The B.C. Court of Appeal agreed, granting Foerster a new trial.

In the past six years, I have spoken with Marie Van Diest on the phone and in person many times. She phoned me back after I left a message asking for a comment on the appeal decision.

91裸聊视频淚 had a gut feeling this was going to happen,91裸聊视频 said Marie. 91裸聊视频淭his is a nightmare I wish I could wake up from.91裸聊视频

I91裸聊视频檝e never met Marie91裸聊视频檚 former husband, Raymond. I phoned him the morning of the appeal decision and spoke to him for the first time, asking for his reaction.

91裸聊视频淚 hate that our family has to go through this again,91裸聊视频 he said.

Raymond said he would pop by my office for a chat.

He never showed. And that91裸聊视频檚 OK. I don91裸聊视频檛 blame him one bit. I hope he understands and respects I was doing my job. I91裸聊视频檓 thinking he was quite upset about the decision reached that morning.

A few weeks earlier, I sat in court as a Vernon mother of four, with kids aged six to 18, was sentenced to four years in jail for impaired driving causing death and bodily harm. She ran a red light in downtown Vernon in the early morning hours in October 2014 and broadsided a car carrying two on-duty Vernon Jubilee Hospital nurses, killing the driver, seriously injuring her passenger.

While the woman did spare the nurses91裸聊视频 families a trial, it took nearly three years for her to enter guilty pleas. The family of the driver was outraged with the Crown for not seeking a stiffer penalty (Crown asked for the high end of a two-to-four-year sentence), and with the fact that constant delays and adjournments for new dates were a regular part of their daughter91裸聊视频檚 matter.

Such delays, in fact, are reasons a number of court cases in Canada are getting thrown out. Too much time passes. Not good for the victims of the crimes.

Headlines from media outlets across the country have been screaming for change for years:

No faith in our justice system 91裸聊视频 May 2012;

The Canadian justice system is so broken it91裸聊视频檚 criminal 91裸聊视频 October 2009;

Study finds Canadians have little confidence in justice system 91裸聊视频 February 2014;

Add Marie Van Diest91裸聊视频檚 voice to the endless list.

91裸聊视频漁ur justice system needs fixing. This is cruel and unusual punishment for the victims. There are far too many rights for the bad guys.91裸聊视频



Roger Knox

About the Author: Roger Knox

I am a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. I started my career in radio and have spent the last 21 years working with Black Press Media.
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